Improvement in fluid-meters



Arana JOI-IN SHEFFIELD, OF PULINEYVILLE, NFV YORK.

IMF'PtovEt/iEaIT IN FLUiaME'i-Eas.

. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,504, dated November 3, 1863.'

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be itv known that I, JOHN SI-IEFFIELD, oi Pultneyville, in the county ot' Vayn'e and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved FluidfMeter; and I do hereby declaro that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section ot' this invention, taken in the plane indicated by the line :r x, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, the parts in section being bisected in a plane'indicated by the line y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same, the line e z, Fig. 1, indicating the piane of section. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the mechanism for changing the position of the valves.

Similar letters of reference in the several views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the employment or use of a movable weight guided by an oscillating slide, which connects with one of two valves, that are balanced on asuitable Workingbeam and change the current ofthe tluid, and moved by the action of the iuid on a iiexible or movable diaphragm in such a manner that by the motion of the weight produced by the action of the iiuid on the diaphragm thevalves are alternately closed and opened and the current of the fluid changed to act alternately on one and then on the other side of the diaphragm, and the quantity of iiuid admitted to either side of the diaphragm is registered by the motion of the working-beam, from which the valves are suspended, said motion being transmitted by suitable mechanism to a registering apparatus, so that the quantity of iuid passing or having passed through the meter can be ascertained at any moment.

To enable those skilled in the art to rrake and use my invention, I will vproceed to describe its construction' and operation.

A represents a case, made ot' sheet metal, cast-iron, or any other suitable material, ac-

' cording to the pressure to which it may be exposed when in operation.

lt' the meter is to be used for water or other non-compressible iuids passing through under a high pressure, the case will bestbe made of cast-iron; but for gas or other compressible iiuids7 which are generally measured at a very low pressure, the case may be made ot' tinned sheet-iron, sh eet-brass, or other light material.

The case A is divided into four compartments or chambers, B C D E, by partitions co b c. The chamber B contains the diaphragm F, which may be either fast at the circumference and iexible, so that its center is free to receive a reciprocating motion, or which may be rigid and tted into the chamber like a piston or plunger, to assume a reciprocating motion if acted upon by competent power.`

The second chamber, G, connects with thesupply-pipe d. The third chamber, D, contains the valves and the mechanism for changing the same, and communicates with the dis'- chargepipe e, and the fourth or last com partment, E, contains the registering apparatus.

A transverse pertition,f, divides the valvechamber D in two compartments, D D, and the compartment D connects by a central channel, g, with the space b on one, andthe compartment D through a curved pipe, G, G, with the space b on the opposite, side of the diaphragm l HH are the valves which are suspended from a rock-shaft, I, that has its i'ulcrum on a pivot, h, secured in lugs projecting from a partition, i, in the top part of the valve-chamber. so that a slight pressure exerted on one rnd ofthe rock-shaft, or on one of the valves, causes the same to descend and produces a corresponding ascent in the valve at the opposite end.

The valves are so constructed that the same when lowered dip into grooves jj', containing mercury or other suitable liquid to make a water or gas tight joint, and to close the apertures j* jt, in the partition b', and when the valves rise the edges of two annular flanges, k cf, projecting from the partition i, dip into grooves l l', made in the central bottoms or heads, m m', of the valves, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, where the valve H closes down in the groove j and the valve H against the annular flange 7c. In this position the supply-pipe d communicates through the apertures j', compartment D ,v and curved pipe G with the space b on the outside of the diaphragm, and the space L on the inside ofthe diaphragm communicates through the central channel, D, and annular flange kwith the discharge-pipee. If water or other fluid is The two valves are perfectly balanced,

l springs.

admitted through the supply-pipe, the compartment b" begins to lill, the diaphragm moves in the direction ot' the arrow marked near it in Fig. l, and any iuid contained in the compartment b is forced out through the discharge-pipe.

The valves are changed by the action of a weight, K, which is hung in two arms, m, which connect by levers m with a rock-shaft, mit. This rock-shaft connects by two arms and a link, m2, with a rock-shaft, m3, and an aim, m4, extending from this rook shaft, connects by a rod, m5, with the center ofthe diaphragm, F.

The rock-shafts m* and m3 have their bearings in a frame, Kt, bolted down upon the partition b, and the arms and levers on the same are so proportioned that a motion ofthe diaphragm and rod 'm5 in 'the direction of the arrows marked near to said rod in Figs. 2 and 4 produces a motion of the weight in the direction of the arrow marked near it in the same iigures. rI he weight K is guided by a slide or slides, L, and this guide is pivoted in its center to standards o, rising from the frame Kit, so that as soon as the weight passes its fulcrum said guide has a. tendency to assume an inclined position. `It is, however, notvallowed to follow this tendency until by the action of the weight on a tappet,p, and through it on dogs p* 19'* the double-hooked catch p', at the bottom part of the guide L, is released from that one oi' the dogs'which retains it at acertain moment. The tappetp is pivoted to the side of the guide L, and its ends are turned up, so that the weight, on arriving at the ends ofthe guide, depresses the Tappet and acts by means of one ot' the rods p2p, on either one oi' the dogs p* pi, and by depressing said dogs releases the guide and allows it to follow 'the action of the weight.

The dogs lo* pi are connected to rockshat'ts p4, p5 and held in theproper position to retain the catch p by suitable weights or The guide L connects by an arm, g, link q', and bent arm g2 with a rock-shaft, git, from which two arms, g, extend, (see Fig. 3,) one on either side ot' the valve AH, and these Y arms connect by links g4 with said valve.

The connection between the guide Land valve Il is of such a nature that when the weightis in the position shown in Fig. 2 the valve H is depressed, and when the weight comes to the opposite end of the guide it raises the valve -H and the valve H is depressed.

The operation of the working parts of the meter will now be readily understood. lf the -valve H is down and the valve H up, as

shown in Fig. l, and the duid is admitted, the compartment b lills and the diaphragm F rises. The position ofthe weight K is thereby changed from one end of the guide to the other, and the valve I-I is raised, and, consequently, the valve H depressed. rlhe fluid now passes into the compartment b', the diaphragm is depressed, and the iiuid contained in the compartment b is forced out through the pipe G and discharge-pipe e. When the diaphragm reaches its lowest position, the valves are again changed, and so on until the iiow of the fluid is stopped. The rock-shaft l, from Vwhich the valves H H are suspended, acts by a fork, tit, on an arm projecting from avertical rock-shaft,r, which transmits the motion of the valves to the registering apparatus M. Ii the capacity of the compartments b b" is known, the quantity of iiuid which passes through the apparatus can be readily ascertained by marking the number What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The weight K and tilting guide L, in combination with the diaphragm F, valves H H', rock-shaft I, and registering apparatus M, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose substantially as shown and described.

2. The tappe-tp, hinged to the side oi' the tilting guide L, and operating in combination with the weight K, double-hooked catch pf, and dogs pit pit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. y

JOHN SHEFFIELD. Witnesses W. I. THRooP,

H. M. GRIFFEN. 

